Auld Lang Syne at auction – but not to keep

Published on Wednesday 27 May 2009 21:59

THE original Robert Burns manuscript of Auld Lang Syne is going under the hammer – but the winning bidder will not be allowed to take it home.

One of the world's most famous songs, it will fetch over 50,000 at auction, experts say.

Instead of taking the treasured book away to keep, however, the winner will become the "patron" of the song.

They will get a plaque displaying their name, on show beside the manuscript in the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire.

The song is one of 250 Burns-related items being "sold" to help fund the National Trust for Scotland's Burns project. Researchers found the manuscript – showing the Bard's elaborate handwriting alongside musical notes – in the early 20th century.

Nat Edwards, director of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, thinks bidders worldwide will be keen to sponsor it. He said: "This manuscript is hugely important. It's one of Burns' best-known songs and it's an international song.

"This is a unique opportunity for one person to sponsor the preservation of this one item.

"Lots of people sponsor rugby tournaments or other sporting events, but those are fleeting. What we are talking about here is Auld Lang Syne – the song everyone knows around the world."